Without My Mask
by Agent of the Divine One
Summary: We all hide something behind our eyes and actions. Some hide more than you think. I am one of them. Do you have the courage to see me Without My Mask?
1. Intro

**Without My Mask**

_Hello everyone! Perhaps there are still some scant dedicated souls waiting for the update to It Ends in Blood or the ever more likely impossibility of such a fact. Either way I have decided to do something I have wanted to at one point or another. It has been done of course in small amounts and even some carried it further. But as egocentric as it may sound I believe I can bring something of my own to the vast table of nourishing literature._

_Now...**Begin!**_

My name is Garfield Logan but most know me by the codename Beast Boy. You know the one. The joker. The goof-ball. The human tennis ball (I don't know if someone's said it but people are jerks so it's only a matter of time before someone does). I'm all of these things. But they are just a part of my mask. And it isn't just me.

You know that the leader of my current team wears one on his face and that's to hide his eyes, but he also wears another mask and this one is called control. Control over his emotions, his team and even his girlfriend Starfire.

Speaking of which Starfire wears a mask as well. Hers is a mask of eternal happiness. I don't know enough to give a psychic profile on her, but with Blackfire hunting her down and being kidnapped by the Gordanians it's safe to say that she has some scars that go deeper than any she's had inflicted from battle.

Then there is Cyborg, true name Victor Stone. He wears the mask of the jock. Someone who loves to compete and revels in athletic triumphs and in a sense he does. But I've seen it first hand how he has sagged to the ground as if the weight of the world is on his shoulders and you can almost see his past before his horrible accident playing out before his eyes.

Then there is Raven. Her mask is the strongest of all. If the mask was a material it could never be broken by forces below that of God. What is hers you ask? Void. A complete and utter lack of emotion. She pretends she is an island without feeling or care. But I see cracks in the mask. I see them everyday when she loses her temper while I try to get her to acknowledge me as more than a parasite. I see it when she remembers how she almost ended the world. I see it when she is drinking her tea. I have found myself fascinated with the person I see through those cracks and I want to see the entire person.

But I can't see it with my current approach. I need something that can't be ignored, something that even the mighty Raven will have to recognize as fact.

I have to remove my mask. I have to let everyone see what they think they want to see. And who I really am.

Are they ready for it? Probably not. But they need to realize just how hypocritical they are being. And nothing is more convicting to those with a conscience than the truth.


	2. Intellect

_Well this is a pleasant surprise! Eleven reviews over a three day span! Such enthusiasm should be rewarded. Since I can't afford to pay anyone I will repay your consideration with the second chapter and the start of the Titans first real look at Beast Boy._

_I don not own Sun-tzu, __Nietzsche__, Batman, Star Trek or Drowning Pool and I obviously do not own Teen Titans._

**Again!**

Day one starts with the biggest change of all. Waking up with the dawn. Well, that's not quite accurate. I'm always up with the dawn since my animal instincts have me hardwired for a predator's schedule and several other things that rule my day to day life.

The question now is what would be hardest to miss? What would start that haunting heartbeat beneath the floorboards that would cause Raven to slowly go mad?

"_Gurgle!"_ Ah yes, breakfast. Waking up this early will mean an absence of the usual meat versus tofu argument that I incurred every morning. The truth of the matter is I never wanted to win the argument. It was just my own way of getting Cyborg going so he was ready for the day ahead. But this morning will start not with a bang, but with a whimper.

I pull on a uniform from my haphazard clean pile and walk with a steady brisk pace to the comm room where I know Raven will be meditating in front of the window facing the sun. So it is I let the soft thud of my shoes propel me on to the first major change of the day.

The doors open and I see Raven glowing with the rays of the morning star. _Malchior was wrong when he called her beautiful. She has a loveliness to rival the Mona Lisa._ I gently turn away from the scene and go straight to the fridge. Fortunately there is still some Tofu Yakisoba left over from the Japanese take out we had last night. I toss it in the microwave and wait for it to heat while I pour some soy milk and watch the numbers pointedly.

I don't have long to wait and consume my meal quickly before laying the dishes in the sink and grabbing a bottle of water before heading down to the gym for a little exercise.

As I'm leaving I notice a change in Raven's scent. Is that...? _"Sniff sniff!"_ Yeeeeeeessssssss. Confusion mixed with just a hint of worry. She has been denied her greeting and attention grabbing efforts for the early morning. But just as quickly it is covered over by apathy as the doors close. I smile in satisfaction. _It's just a start, but it's a promising one. It may not take as long to break the mask as I thought. _Now down to the training room for some warming up.

Again the doors swished open to reveal a center that was equipped for any kind of work out. Everything from weights, to treadmills to a sparring dummy meant for Robin and the extra large weight set for Cyborg and Starfire.

I looked past all of these to the newly installed console which operated the entire training room as a single unit. Today would be the perfect opportunity to test out the new feature. "Computer engage program Mephisto 187. Limit program to duration of favorite song from Playlist Babylon 6. Immediately the entrance to the gym was sealed shut with a hiss of compressing air.

" _Warning. Program cannot be disabled until complete. Are you sure you wish to proceed? "_Confirm program activation." Immediately the entrance to the gym was sealed shut with a hiss of compressing air and all the other training equipment receded into the floor. A series of chirps indicated the computer's finalization. _Program standing by. State activation code to begin."_ I let the memories come flooding back from the dam I had built over the years. My parents murder. _Sorrow._ My life growing up in orphanage after orphanage. _Outcast._ The abuse I endured at the hands of two petty thieves. _Worthless._ Mento's constant scorn when I got something wrong yet again. _ Failure. _Terra's mocking words as she buried me alive. _Fool. _The sound of breaking glass as Raven threw me out the window yet again for the unforgivable crime of trying to get her to smile. _Hopeless._ I held my fists up to my closed eyes and whispered, "Life is pain."

They emerged from the ground. All perfect replications of things plucked from my memory. All a cause of my suffering. All of them incapable of feeling pain. I let all the agony, all the rage come exploding through my veins as I grew more muscular, more agile and more deadly. And now my favorite part.

_Let the bodies hit the floor  
Let the bodies hit the floor  
Let the bodies hit the floor  
Let the bodies hit the boom boom flooooooooooooooooooooooooooor!_

I let loose with a primal roar that shook the ground like a four on the richter scale before charging at the weakest manifestations of my offenders. They had the most merciful demise. _Bzzzzzt!_ The power cells of the androids sparked in my paws as my primal side snorted in disapproval of such an easy kill.

The next opponent required more agility as the simulated telepathic blasts left scorch marks a split second behind where I dug in to get closer.

_SHINK!_

My claws separated the head from the body.

_BOOM!_

A large metal sphere landed where I was standing just seconds ago followed by more in rapid succession and from every direction.

_Pzzzzzzzzt! Shzzzt!_

First came the legs.

_Crnch! Pt!_

Then the arms came off just like plucking the wings off a fly, not that I ever would mind you.

_Thudthudthud! _One thing about these androids Cyborg built that always bemused me was how they never stopped coming until they were completely annihilated. I grinned so that my razor sharp fangs were there there in their predatory glory.

_BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! _The final android lay sparking from what used to be its neck. But that wasn't enough for me.

_Crunch. Crunch. Crunch. Bleh!_ I spat out the remains of the head. Circuits and microchips were all that remained of the android who's' name was almost obscured in soot. **Terra**.

As expected this torrent of emotion did not go unnoticed by the Tower's recluse so it was no surprise when the door glowed black and began to groan under the great power that was causing it to disobey the laws of physics.

But I was ready for that. In the immortal words of Sun-tzu, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Fortunately I had an edge because she has managed to be both for all the time I've known her and I have come to develop plans for _special_ situations.

"Computer! Decon protocol Omega! Engage!" Once again you've gotta love Cyborg's tech savvy because the lasers which were used to test agility and reflexes emerged and disintegrated the scrap of the morning workout.

And none too soon because a split second afterwards the door shot in and hit the opposite wall followed swiftly by Raven with her cape flowing from the charge of her power that she held in her hands.

"Raven I know that you don't like to be kept waiting, but there are more efficient ways of opening a door." Raven quickly powered down and drew her hands withing her cloak.

"I felt intense bursts of rage coming from this room and thought you may be in danger." I dropped my head to the right and stared at her with a gaze which oozed condescension. "Unless you count a stubbed toe as danger I am doing quite well Raven."

She looked like the very image of calm but I could smell it. The doubt...the hurt...the indignation.

"Well if you are doing so well then I suppose I should leave." I responded with a polite smile. "Indeed." As she turned to leave I delivered one last blow to the mask. "Raven?" She didn't even speak instead settling for glaring at me with childish malice. "Are you going to put the door back?" Ohhhhhh! There it is! The ever so tiny blush on her cheeks to indicate embarrassment! And yet she's so annoyed when I call her Rae Rae! It fits! She's so cute when she does that.

Without a word she walked quickly out of the room putting the door back in place with her powers. _This was meant to be a form of retribution but I never expected it to be this much fun!_ My lone fang poked out of the left side of my mouth as I smiled in unrestrained glee at watching Raven squirm.

The only question now was what could I do next to make her writhe in discomfort? I was still contemplating this question when I stepped out into the hall and the smell hit me like a ton of bricks. _Bacon_. I felt my face form into a wicked grin that would make the Joker run for his mommy as I walked back towards the comm room with a spring in my step humming Some Kind of Monster.

_Oh wait! Walking in isn't enough! I need something else. Something that will be so out of character that no one will be able to ignore it! _The doors to my room opened automatically as I tossed the room like a burglar. _The only question is what? What will be enough to-_ There it was. Just sitting there like the Holy Grail on a pedestal. Except this one was made up of dirty clothes and comics. _There is no way anyone can ignore me if I'm reading this!_ I resisted the urge to cackle maniacally before I resumed my walk back to where the rest of the team would be waiting.

The doors opened with the usual _swish_ and I walked in holding my book and still humming the same tune. "Hey B! Why don't you try to fill in that wire frame with some tasty bacon?" The bacon sizzled and popped filling the room with it's aroma the grease pooling around the strips of meat like Swamp Water. It took all of my self-control not to moan, "It's the Bog of Eternal Stench!" Raven groaned quietly anticipating another heated argument and Robin smiled slightly behind his newspaper, while Starfire got ready to bring peace to the "War of foods" as she liked to call it.

I smirked in amusement. _Ah Cyborg so predictable. But I can use that._ "Cyborg you know I don't eat meat. What makes you think today will be any different?" Cyborg wasn't giving up. "Come on man! You look like you've been marooned on a desert island with nothing to drink but coconut milk! If you want some muscle to go with your bones you need meat!"

_Time to break the mold._ "Cyborg?" He grinned thinking he had finally won. "Do you know how a person smells when they burn?" Cyborg's face instantly warped into one of confusion and nervousness and Robin lost his smile. "Uh, why do you ask B?" I gave him the deepest scowl I could muster. "Because I know. And it smells just like what you have sizzling away in that pan."

That did it. Cyborg looked down at his feet. "Sorry B I didn't know." I softened my face to a more neutral expression. "I know Cy. Just remember that I do things for a reason ok?" Cyborg still looked pretty down so I slapped him on the back. "Hey, what do you say we take Mega Monkeys 5 for a spin after you're done eating? He grinned with teeth so white it made my eyes burn. "You're on salad head!" I gave his back a couple more pats before sitting down and cracking open my book. Now _that_ got some looks.

"Friend Beast Boy what are you reading?" _Ahhh! There it is again! That smell of confusion and worry._ I sniffed a little more._ Mixed with lilac soap._ I smiled gently up at the girl I considered to be my sister. "It's something I haven't picked up in a long time Starfire. The abridged works of Friedrich Nietzsche**."**

I caught it on my next inhaled breath. A flood of confusion and fear. I kept my expression and emotions calm and caught site of Starfires puzzled countenance. "Oh I'm sorry I didn't explain who he was! This guy was a 19th century philosopher who spoke out against traditional beliefs such as Christianity and Egalitarianism." Starfire's response was the pinnacle of articulation. "Ummm." "Here Starfire I'll read some for you, 'The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privelage of owning yourself.'"

And I kid you not I could see her eyes light up like her starbolts in understanding and awe at what she had just heard. "Oooooh! Please friend tell me more!" I smiled warmly at her. Such an eager student. I would love to tell her I really would. I smirked in glee. But there are some things that even I don't want to disrupt in this personal exposition. "Oh I would looooooove to Starfire. But I think Robin would love it even more."

Shoom! _Woah. Superman has competition for being faster than a speeding bullet._ I sniffed the air and caught it again. This time it was like a dam had burst and all of Raven's concern was filling the cosmos at a maddening pace. _It's working._ I allowed myself an inconspicuous smile before settling in to read some more.

**WEEOH! WEEOH! WEEOH!** _Oh great what loser do we have to deal with this time?_ Robin sounds even less thrilled than I do. "It's Dr. Light again." _The biggest loser._ "Okay team you know the plan. Raven shows some tendrils of dark energy, he pees his pants and then goes back to jail." _Hm, I feel kind of bad that Dr. Light has to be the guinea pig, but-Oh who am I kidding! That loser is the perfect way to shake things up!_ "Hey Rob? How about letting me have a go at this pansy?"

Robins mask arched on one side and the rest of the team looked at me like the annoyance they all thought I was. "No offense Beast Boy, but that really isn't necessary. We can get this done in under ten seconds if Raven just does what she always does." I knew Raven could reduce him to the fetal position in no time flat of course, but that wasn't going to help the plan along. "I know Robin and I have a proposal. If I can't bring Dr. Light down in one minute Raven can go with her usual plan and just to sweeten the deal I will do all the dishes for a month." I could tell I had won him over because his mask reached all the way up to his forehead in surprise. "Well okay Beast Boy, but one minute only." I nodded stoicly before we all rode the elevator down to the garage and then piled into the T-car. No one said anything on the way to the crime scene. A bank. How cliché. And I could feel Raven's eyes on me. Wondering just what had gotten into me that I was acting my age for once. _Well guess what Raven you ain't seen nothing yet._

We came to a screeching halt in front of the bank and immediately the other four assumed battle stances. I opted to transform into a chameleon and sneak around his left flank while he said his usual opening remarks. "I see that there are only four of you this time. What happened? Did the green one lose his nerve?" I saw Robin's head whip back and forth in my peripheral vision as I got withing striking distance of the dim doctor. "I thought Beast Boy was going to take care of this one?" Raven of course supplied her view of things. "Maybe he actually used his brain for once and sat this one out."

His arrogant laughter rang out just before I made my move. "It looks like you are even deeper in the dark than usual! Let me remedy that with-" _SCRUNCH!_ Doctor Light looked down in horror at the green gorilla fist which held what used to be his power core. Time seemed to freeze as he looked at my face and saw pure loathing burning in my eyes. "You pathetic waste of flesh." _SOCK!_ A right jab spun him around as he tried to fight back with a wild swing of his left arm. _Thunk_. It was child's play to block it with my right hand. "Always aspiring to reach the infinite heights of your delusions of grandeur." _THUD!_ A left cross sends him to the ground as he attempts to get back up and offer some pitiful resistance. "Always a waste of time and effort." _BAM!_ I bring both my hands together into a fist and bring it down hard on his helmet. "And I'm sick of it." I crack my neck before turning around to my team mates and fined them all in some state of shock. Raven hides it well but I can smell her worry increase a hundred fold. But that is to be expected considering what I just did to the biggest wuss on the planet.

"So who's up for Pizza? I'm starving!" No one moved. "Oookay. I'll just get something at home." I morph into a red tailed hawk and flap my wings leisurely on the way back. _It's starting to come apart already. But it still needs a lot of work before it falls off completely. Raven has never been one to give up easily._ I smile in my minds eye._ But neither have I._ Day one completed.

**So there you have it folks the second chapter. Comments, critiques and ideas especially are welcome. Hope to hear from you soon!**


	3. Culture

_Eighteen reviews! Fantastic! There were a couple reviews that had some very useful suggestions for what to do with this next chapter and I will be putting them both into play. Oh yes and for those who are following It Ends in Blood the next chapter will be more gritty than the one just posted. Don't bother asking how. Life has given me a deep hole to pull nightmares out of so you will not be left to imagine what comes next for too long._

_And also I do not own Kiss or Nietzsche._

_But that is not what you came for. Let's see something else shall we?_

**Fire!**

**(Raven's POV)**

Something is wrong. Beast Boy is acting cold, calculating and violent. Three words I would never use of Beast Boy when he is in his right mind. And that is what concerns me the most.

I can't detect any foreign presence influencing his thoughts either magical or mutation. Instead it is more like a dark pit has been opened and all the dark secrets of his psyche are making themselves known after being held in chains forged of self-control and understanding.

And what's more is he is toasting their return as he would old friends. He _wants_ them to be here. _Why?_ Why does he draw comfort from his demons?

_Aw don't be such a downer Rae Rae! You know it's just a cover up for the crush you have on that emerald dream boat!_

"Now is _not_ the time for that Happy." I felt my cheeks flush at her assertion. How dare she? Yes he has become easier to tolerate in recent months, but _dream boat_? I felt my stomach nearly empty at the sappy assertion of my pink clad avatar. _She does have a point Raven_. Oh great now my logic was against me too.

I shook my head feverishly to rid myself of these thoughts. _No! No. I am not going to get wrapped up in this. Right now I am going to focus on confronting Beast Boy!_ So with my resolve strengthened I approached the "Fortress of Stinkitude" as Beast Boy had put it in his own highly juvenile way.

Yesterday had been like being pushed head first into arctic water. The Beast Boy I had known-_we_ had known was replaced with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Robin thought it may be the Beast acting up again but Cyborg was quick to point out that his DNA was stable according to the blood sample he had drawn just last week. Of course the team leader tried to find a cause for what had happened but had come up empty. Just like when he suspected that the Trix Rabbit was behind a number of "malfunctions" with the training course. We all knew it was Beast Boy, but if Robin didn't have a big mystery every once in a while then he ran the team ragged with unneeded training. I felt my mouth grudgingly contort into a small smile at the memory before wiping it from my face and knocking firmly on his door.

I waited a minute for it to open. No answer. "Beast Boy?" Again I was met with silence. "Beast Boy if you can hear me I'm coming in!" Punching in the override access code I stepped into his room and felt my eyes bug out of their sockets.

Usually it looked like it belonged to someone in a refugee camp (No offense to those who've been there. I once knew a kid my age who only had a tin roof, cinder block walls and a cot. His entertainment was a TV with a twelve inch screen). But now it looked..._clean._ The clothes which had formed two mountains were nowhere to be seen. The comic books were lined up neatly on a book case with-Kant and Wittgenstein? And there was a heavy musk in the air I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"Banyan Tree." I'm not kidding you when I say I jumped two feet in the air before landing back on the ground and whipping my head over to the bed where I noticed Beast Boy reading Nietzche again. "What?" He turned a page of the book not taking his eyes off the words as he delivered his reply, "The smell is Banyan Tree. It's supposed to smell like the Banyan trees that grow in central Africa. Whoever made it did a good job."

I raised an eyebrow to hide my complete surprise and plunged ahead with Robin's interrogation mission. "How are you feeling?" Beast Boy put down his book and stroked the stubble on his chin while his face contorted into deep thought. I felt my tongue salivating and delivered a mental slap to Lust. "Well I've been feeling restless. I mean I've been doing the same thing four years straight and I'm trying to shake things up a little you know?" My face remained calm throughout his speech, but I found myself quickly losing my footing. I consciously had to fight the urge to grab him by the collar and yell "Who are you and what have you done with Beast Boy!?" Instead I proceeded to lay out my-_Robin's_ concerns. "Well you really had Robin worried yesterday with how you put down Cyborg and beat up Dr. Light." He nodded wisely (yes I'm referring to _Beast Boy_) and spoke in a soft tone. "Yeah sorry about that. Like I said I was just having an off day." I nodded in satisfaction with his reply but there was one more thing that Robin had sent me to squeeze-I mean _coax_ out of him.

"Beast Boy?" "Yes?" I took in a silent breath. "What did you mean yesterday when you said you knew '...what a person smells like when they burn.'?" Instantly his eyes lost their shine and I could almost see a black cloud roll into his eyes and take the warmth of his soul hostage. "It's an old memory from long ago. I would prefer not to talk about it."

It was obvious that I wasn't going to get any more answers so I excused myself and headed for the door. "Hey Raven?" I turned my eyes to meet his. "Tell Robin not to worry so much. His gel is going to start dripping off his hair if he gets any more stressed than he already is." And again he smiled that brilliant grin. I allowed a small smile and left the room, but just as I passed through I heard the words coming from Beast Boy's stereo.

_You tell lies when you look at me, smile when you look away  
Spin a web any fool can see, put your candy on display  
It's a game of who needs who, who's on top, me or you  
Pleasure and pain feel the same when the night is thru_

Girl you want me to cry, feel like I'm gonna die  
Girl you want me to bleed, feel the thrill of my need  
Girl you want me to bed, wish to hell I was dead  
Cause you love me to hate you, yeah you love me to hate you  
Girl you love me to hate you, and the more that I hate you I love you

The rest of the song was cut off by the door shutting behind me but it had already set me on edge. _Did Beast Boy do that on purpose? Is he trying to tell me something or-_. I mentally slapped myself again. _No! I'm not doing that again! I've already wasted enough time with this! I'm going to meditate and then things are going to go back to normal!_

I allowed myself a Cheshire grin at my most recent success as the sound of Raven's footsteps grew softer with distance. _Her walls are coming apart faster now. But the day is still young and there is still so much I can do. The only question is what? What will really shake things up?_ It took a few minutes of rubbing my chin and pacing steadily, but at last an idea hit me. Something so completely out of character that it would rattle everyone like a maraca at a Cinco de Mayo party. I whipped out my cell and punched in the number for the opera house. "Hey! What's up Chuck? Things going okay?" We chatted for a bit comparing our lives. Turns out he was dating someone and was very happy with it. "Well it's great to hear about that Chuck, but that isn't what I called for. I was wondering do you think you could get me five tickets to the new show? You could? Awesome! Have them waiting for us and we'll be there for the last showing tonight. Okay? Alright! See you then!" I snapped my phone shut and rubbed my hands like a mad scientist and grinned mischievously. Tonight was going to be several levels of fun for me.

The night came as they usually did. With the same swiftness as Robin's lame battle cry (Yes it is lame. The Spring Bird is the only one who doesn't know it yet). Thankfully none of the villains had decided to embarrass themselves by committing a crime this late in the evening. So with that promising circumstance in place I walked through the common room doors to find everyone sitting down to the common meal of pizza. I was especially pleased to find a pizza with the letters "BB" in black marker on the table.

"Hey guys what's up?" Starfire's head was the first to rise up with the ever present warm smile on her face. "Oh good evening Beast Boy! We were just partaking of the pizza! Won't you join us?" I smiled warmly in return and dug into the Vegetarian pizza and after a couple slices cleared my throat to grab everyone's attention. "I would like to announce that I have reserved five tickets to the new show at the Caliga and I was hoping that everyone would be able to come."

"What's showing Beast Boy?" _Perfectly he takes the bait._ "I want to keep that a surprise Robin. I will say though that is a Shakespearean play so you don't need to worry being put out by "juvenile humor". I saw Raven twitch minutely out of the corner of my eye at the not-so-subtle barb and awaited the response of the team leader.

"Well I didn't have anything else planned for tonight. Sounds like it would be a great idea." I smiled gratefully at the traffic light-I mean Robin. "Thanks Robin, but there's one more thing that needs to be taken care of." Robin's mask pulled up in a silent question. "We all need to dress up."

"Well that shouldn't be too hard. We can all just wear holo rings to alter our appearances." "And avoid being mobbed by fan-girls right Robin?" The team leader flushed at the memories of the stampedes and Starfire's eyes lit up with righteous fury. "Do not worry Robin! I shall protect you from those ravenous grimplorks!" Robin fearing an incident quickly placated Starfire and then Cyborg left the room to retrieve the rings.

I chanced one last grin with a singular thought echoing through my head. _This is going to be sweet!_

So it was after a ride in the nondescript van that the Titans made their way into the Caliga the best live theater venue in the southwest states. After we became seated in the balcony the play began and judging from the smell of epinephrine and lilac Raven was _very_ surprised by my choice of activity for the night.

"Beast Boy?" I looked over with a warm expression at the dark beauty. "Yes Raven?" She scrunched her eyes slightly as if looking for the best way to broach the subject. "Why Macbeth?" My smile widened at her question. "I dare do all that may become a man. Who dares more is none." Raven stared at me with owlish eyes and not missing a beat I made to open them even wider. "Act 1 Scene 7 lines 46 through 47." Raven's eyes went back to normal and she refortified her composure. "I know the quote Beast Boy. It is just surprising to find out that you know more than how to sleep."

"The mysteries of the human entity are greater than that of the cosmos and longer lasting." Again the expression of intense concentration. "What author was that?" "Only me Raven. Only me."

Later on as we retired to our rooms I folded up a photocopy of a passage from Romeo and Juliette before slipping it under Raven's door and entering my own refuge. _Her confusion is growing and her footing is becoming less sure. The mask is almost off, but a few more precise strikes are needed to break it into pieces. But that will come with tomorrow and what a day it will be._ Day two completed.

**As I said before. Comments, critiques and suggestions welcome. And of course stick around for the next chapter of Without My Mask.**


	4. Amnesia

**Hey Everybody! I was just drifting on a river of nostalgia and this is what came out of it. There will be more chapters of this, but It Ends in Blood has lost its fire.**

**So sit back enjoy and eat some popcorn if you want. And just fyi. If you eat it with anything on the popcorn don't use the hand that grabs it to type. Butter does not come out easy. :S**

Beast Boy woke up feeling more energized than ever. He was going to knock off the socks and shoes of the Titans and the city as a whole. Now all that remained was an opportunity-"Titans! Trouble!" Man! Talk about something you can set your watch to! I sped down the halls in the form of a Cheetah and did a tuck and roll through the doors just as the data came up on the screen for the chump-I mean criminal that was causing an otherwise pleasant day to be ruined.

"Johnny Rancid is making trouble downtown! Cyborg and Starfire will set up a perimeter, I'll fight Rancid head on and Beast Boy you'll run interference!" "Way ahead of your Robin! Flash is setting things up right now!" Robin narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Beast Boy why would the Flash be doing your job? And when did you set up whatever you're planning?" I grinned and put my hands behind my head. "Oh I've had this planned for a few days now. Don't worry Robin we'll put the bad guy away just like we always do. We'll just have more fun with it." Robin let out a snort of frustration before turning to leave. "If something goes wrong Beast Boy it's your responsibility to clean up the mess. Titans go!"

At the site of the crime (An auto show. What a surprise.) Rancid had brought in his own overpowered truck and was steamrolling the cars while laughing madly. "That's right! Run! No one has the power to match my ride!"

"Hey Rancid!" Johnny screeched to a stop and looked smugly down on us as he revved the engine a few times in a display of power. "Ha! The Teen Dorks are here again to save the day! What's the matter? Hall Monitor duty wasn't challenging enough?" Johhny laughed long and hard while the rest of my team's faces were either angry or blank. Me though? I was laughing my head off. This guy had absolutely no idea how hard he was going down this time.

This didn't go unnoticed by Rancid. "Hey Salad Head! You blown a gasket or what?" I lost my smile immediately and the twinkle of delight was replaced by a cold amusement as I brought my hand up and snapped once.

All at once from all of the car stereos there came the sound of rhythmic guitars and trumpets. Johnny of course wasn't happy with this. "What is the stuff? Who's the wise guy who's doing this?" I waved my hands animatedly and started dancing to the music. "It's all me Johnny! You see usually when we beat you it's so boring. You hit us, we hit you and then you do something that completely destroys whatever plan you had. So this time when we beat you we get to have some fun with it!" Johnny instantly gritted his teeth gunned the engine and bore down on us like an angry African elephant. But not before I said one word. "Flash!"

Just before the truck would have hit us a red blur surrounded the truck and a second later the vehicle collapsed and skidded to a stop with only the frame and steering assembly left over. "Heeeeeeeeeeeeeres Johnny!"

Oh he was beyond angry now. He was livid. He swung his right arm at my stomach hoping to make contact, but I transformed into a chimpanzee and back-flipped out of the way. I transformed back just long enough to light the fire. "You know Johnny we've been putting you away a lot. It begs the question...'Do you suffer from long term memory loss?'"

That did it. Johnny chased me around the lot with a look of murderous rage that would put Raven's father to shame. Every time he got close I transformed into something else and weaved in and out of cars to keep him a few steps behind.

After this had been going on for five minutes I called out one more time. "Flash!" And instantly I was whisked away to a pile of cars which had been made earlier. The difference being that now an Elvis style vintage microphone was on top. I know this was overkill, but come on it was the funniest thing to happen all year! And so we both leaned into the microphone and sang the last lines of the song together bobbing our head toward the microphone, "Do you suffer from long-term memory loss? I don't remember. Do you suffer from long-term memory loss? I don't remember. Do you suffer from long-term memory loss? I don't remember. Do you suffer from long-term memory loss? I don't remember." And just as the last beats faded to nothing Johnny came panting up to where we were standing.

"Wow Johnny you really need to do more cardio. Try doing laps in the prison yard when you get back. Johnny raised his head and gave me a halfhearted glare before the Flash gave him an atomic wedgie. Not the kind you got in school, but the kind that you could feel in every atom of your-well let's just say that sitting down was going to be uncomfortable for a while.

"Man that was awesome!" I grinned at the Flash and high-fived him. "I know! We have got to have a hero karaoke party!" Flash looked over my shoulder and his smile changed into an expression of worry. "Uh BB? Maybe we should check on that later. You know. In case you live through what Robin is going to do." So it was that as he sped off that I turned around to look at the face of my leader. Now I was sure if he had an emergency release valve that I would see steam coming out of his ears.

"Beast Boy?" He was barely holding it together and I feared the worst. "I'll handle this Robin." Ah Cyborg. He could take a joke. Right? "Beast Boy?" Oh no! He looked even more steamed than Robin! "I'm going to give you one chance to answer this question correctly you got it? I nodded my head stiffly once. A tense moment passed. "Do you suffer from long-term memory loss?" Instantly the tension between us evaporated as we collapsed to the ground in uncontrollable laughter. Starfire joined in while Robin threw up his hands and screamed and Raven just shook her head slowly from side to side. It looked like it had been a short lived experience having a serious Beast Boy in the tower.

_Excellent. She thinks that I'm back to my old self. That will make the next act all the more powerful_. Day 3 completed.

**Well there's another chapter! Tell me what you think and if you are feeling especially generous throw some ideas my way. Even the writers who work alone get inspiration from something outside their own mind. :)**

**Oh yes and I didn't mean for it to happen but this was inspired in part by Bleeding Writer and their fic The Deal. Great work! Check it out!**

**Later!**


	5. Present

**Welcome readers to the next chapter of Without My Mask! This story takes place a couple months later as it is necessary for a grand gesture on Beast Boy's part.**

**Sorry about the big delay. I was looking for a way to make things a bit more realistic and it was driving me nuts until I realized that while there is to be a certain amount of realism this is a work of fiction based on a work of fiction. In other words there is a point at which you can stop concentrating on pure fact and just have fun! After all if you can't enjoy something at all then it gets old real fast. Like the majority of congress. XD**

**Anyway on with the show!**

**I do not own Nickleback, Teen Titans or any of that stuff. That should be self evident, but in this day and age there is no such thing as being too careful.**

**Dwayne!**

Once again I rose with the dawn. "You know I could get to like this." I took a moment to think that statement over and laughed lightly. No, getting up early may be good for the plan, but doing this all the time would make me look like Robin when he's constipated. Which is kind of hard to tell since that's how he looks all the time.

Breakfast is once again an unremarkable affair and before gel head-I mean Robin starts this mornings training I needed to go through the plan one more time. It didn't pop out of thin air anymore than the other plans. It had just been so long since I had done anything like it that it needed a little extra preparation. Cyborg was suspicious of course, but it wasn't that hard to persuade him.

_Yesterday Evening_

_Cyborg was once again working under the hood of his car probably to make it faster, more powerful or to add some extra gadget to deal with the bizarre array of villains. Then again it could have something to do with the time I switched the washer fluid with bubble bath and hot-wired an iPod from his steering wheel to his car horn so every time he pressed the horn it played "Man I feel Like a Woman." The extra training, chores and lecture from Robin was totally worth it to see his face flush pink from embarrassment._

"_Hey Cy. Got a minute?" Cyborg looked at me suspiciously mentally debating whether or not this was part of another plot to do something to his baby. "What is it B?" Okay so not a warm and fuzzy reception, but not the hostility I would expect after that last prank._

"_I need a holoring for something I'm doing in town. Can you whip one up for me dude?" Cyborg looked at me long and hard. So much so that I thought he was going to refuse me. "What's it for B? This isn't for another prank is it?" Cyborg seemed to swell to enormous size as he became surrounded by red flames. "Cause if it is I'll turn your green butt into Vegemite."_

"_No no no! I swear I just want to go into town to hang out that's it!" I made extra sure to wave my hands in front of my face to calm him down quickly._

_Cyborg smiled brightly and tussled my hair a little bit in reassurance. "I'm just kidding little man. Just give me a picture and I can get to work. When did you need it?"_

"_Six thirty. I need to be there by seven." Cyborg moved back under the hood as he spoke, "Okay B. Just drop by then and it will be all set to go._

That had been the finishing touch. The bulk of the work had been long and grueling sessions with Jericho on the top of his mountain. And so it was that I had reserved a spot on the stage tonight for one of their pick-up sessions where I would join in with some random people to just let the music flow. It was always different, but not always perfect. I had often thought of how it would be easier if I just selected a group ahead of time knowing it would be easier to get things right.

But as I walked into the cafe all I could think of was what the lyrics meant for my own life. And when I walked out onto the stage to the hushed crowd I had to take a deep breath to calm myself down. In that breath I caught the scent of lavender and knew that everything had gone according to plan. Now came the fun part.

The first part was the most fun with the electronic effects being provided by a mixing board. Then when it came time for the vocals I sang out loud and clear.

I sang about the wonder of meeting the person I would spend the rest of my life with. The confusion and euphoria that comes with realizing that all the searching and all the questions have faded into nothing in the span of a few seconds. And it was as I sang the chorus for the last time that I saw Raven in her own disguise standing in the back entranced by what she was seeing. Me, the goofball, the klutz singing like I had been born with it. And so I locked her eyes with mine and sang with all my heart knowing she would be hanging on every word.

_'Cause nobody wants to do it on their own_

_And everybody wants to know they're not alone_

_There's somebody else that feels the same somewhere_

_There's gotta be somebody for me out there_

_You can't give up, looking for a diamond in the rough_

_You never know when it shows up_

_Make sure you're holding on_

_Cause it could be the one, the one you're waiting on_

_Nobody wants to be the last one there_

_And everyone wants to feel like someone cares_

_Somebody else that feels the same somewhere_

_There's gotta be somebody for me out there_

As the last lines of the song echoed off the walls the crowd _**exploded**_ into wild applause. All except for Raven who had her mouth agape at what she had just seen.

_Well hold onto your cloak Raven because in the immortal words of B. T. O. "You ain't seen nothing yet."_

Day Four Completed.

**Well I hope this is worth the wait. As always let me know how it is and what you think would make it better.**

**And go see the A-Team movie. Really well done.**


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